The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center

 

Summary (from the publisher): Very pregnant and not quite married, Jenny Harris doesn't mind that she and her live-in fiancé, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned. But Dean is acting distant, and the night he runs out for cigarettes and doesn't come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor.

In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never wanted: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby's), there's not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things are looking Jenny learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor. But Dean is never far from Jenny's thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end, she must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she's been lucky to find.

Review: Jenny is engaged and very pregnant. Sure, her fiancé Dean was reluctant to date her in the beginning and has seemed distant of late, but everything is fine! Until he leaves her. And the very next day, she goes into labor. In the following months, Jenny must find her footing in her new role of single mother, along with some help from the handsome new neighbor down the street. But when Dean comes slinking back home, she must decide if her just fine old life is good enough or is the promise of a new, potentially more fulfilling life is worth pursuing. 

This was such a cute, feel-good audio read! Jenny is so plucky and endearing. However, it was so hard to see her waste her time with Dean! I have rarely read of a more terrible partner. He is a walking red flag from the very start, when he only spends time with Jenny to try to get the number of one of her friends. It was hard to believe Jenny would have such little self-respect to tolerate him as her boyfriend, let alone the marry him. And to let him return home after the way he acted!! I will give Jenny the benefit of the doubt because she was a sleep-deprived new mother and she is feeling guilty about depriving her child of time with her father. But otherwise, there is no excuse for Dean to get any of Jenny's time. 

Such a cute Katherine Center novel. We know how it's going to end. We know Dean doesn't deserve her. But we come along for the journey to see how it all plays out along the way. 

Stars: 4

Related Title:

• Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center